Starred review from April 1, 2020
Gr 5-7-Princess Shuri takes center stage in this action-packed novel from Stone. Challenge Day is about to arrive in Wakanda and the heart-shaped herb has been poisoned. While no one doubts that T'Challa will be victorious and the herb won't be needed to create a new Black Panther should someone defeat him, Shuri, 13, can't help but worry. She's been told that female warriors don't challenge the sitting Black Panther but become Dora Milaje, his protectors. Shuri sets off on a covert mission with her best friend and Dora Milaje-in-training, K'Marah, to find the source of the poison and figure out how to reverse its effects. With help from Storm of X-Men, Shuri and K'Marah must figure out a way to save Wakanda from its enemies. Known especially for her intelligence in the Marvel universe, Shuri does not disappoint and will delight readers with her showcasing of her lab and her inventions, including the Panther Mobile, later renamed the Predator. Interspersed throughout the narrative are Shuri's Mission Log notes. VERDICT Recommended for Black Panther fans and newcomers alike, this is a first purchase for all collections.-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 1, 2020
The fate of Wakanda is in Princess Shuri's hands in this original Black Panther tale. In this apparently alternate universe to the Black Panther film's, much is different (including many character's personalities and the history of Shuri's family), but one thing is the same: Shuri's a technological genius. At 13, she loves her personal lab but is less than enthusiastic about royal duties. Third-person narration interspersed with Shuri's first-person mission logs both use language that boomerangs from disorientingly formal to distinctly American, even though most characters are African. Furthermore, an excess of exposition bogs down the narrative. When Shuri alerts the Queen and King T'Challa (the current Black Panther) that the heart-shaped herb--which gives the Black Panther superhuman powers--is dying, bizarrely, neither one seems to take the news seriously. Thankfully, Shuri does, and her quest to find answers takes her beyond Wakanda's borders. At one notable point, Shuri's confusion with what Western readers may recognize as racial microaggressions teases a deeper theme. In the end, Shuri saves the day, but the supposed villain's quarrel with Wakanda is understandable--similar to Killmonger's in the film. But unlike the film, this narrative chooses not to engage with the issue in a rushed conclusion. Offering an enjoyable romp but minimal depth, this demands readers willing to suspend devotion to canon. (Science fiction. 9-12)
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Starred review from February 15, 2020
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* Shuri, 13, may be the baby sister to T'Challa, king of Wakanda, but her knowledge of all things science and technology deem her a force in her own right. The queen thinks Shuri should spend less time in her lab and more time socializing, but Shuri's convinced that she's better off tinkering with new gadgets and Vibranium experiments. With the challenge ritual coming up, Shuri has been busy with just that?designing a new Black Panther habit for her brother, infused with the Heart-Shaped Herb. She soon finds, however, that she must stop an invasion of her beloved Wakanda or else the nation and their supply of Heart-Shaped Herb (which gives the Black Panther their powers) is doomed. Together, Shuri and her Dora Milaje-in-training, K'Marah, set out on a quest that begins what readers will hope to be an ongoing series. Seasoned Marvel fans will delight in Ororo Monroe's big-sister role to a young Shuri, while all will appreciate getting into the head of Wakanda's resident genius and (hopefully) soon-to-be Black Panthress. While we do hear directly from Shuri in her mission-log notes, the action of the story feels muted at times by third-person narration. Nevertheless, the science, comedy, and unapologetic Black girl magic will make this title a surefire hit.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The combination of best-selling Stone and the scene-stealing Shuri from the blockbuster Black Panther is a match made in high-demand heaven.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
May 18, 2020
At 13, Princess Shuri has already accomplished so much as a scientist that she’s on the path to becoming Wakanda’s minister of technology and advancement. Even with all of her achievements, though, her mother and T’Challa—her brother, king of Wakanda and the current Black Panther—still treat Shuri like a child who doesn’t truly understand the propriety required of her. When the heart-shaped herb that ignites the Black Panther’s powers begins rapidly dying, Shuri is appalled at her family’s surprising lack of urgency regarding the problem. Frustrated, she and K’Marah, a protector in training, set off on a secret mission to find what’s killing the plants and how to stop it before the last herb dies out forever. Girl power reigns supreme in this novel companion to the Black Panther universe, and Stone (Clean Getaway) engagingly portrays the mind of a genius, teenage princess (complete with mission log–esque journal entries). In Stone’s handling, Shuri takes center stage and exhibits her intelligence, wit, and unique strengths while showing that a princess is more than enough to save a nation. Ages 9–12.